Sunday, January 24, 2010

Addressing student questions: Evolution

I would like to address another question a student of mine sent me two weeks ago. It's a follow up to the blog entry I posted on January 3 (http://thespiritmagnus.blogspot.com/2010/01/genesis-creation-stories-literal-or.html). But here's the thing: while I can answer most question concerning the Church's position on evolution quite well and can generally appease most inquisitive minds, my knowledge is very limited on the matter and I'm still learning about it myself. Fortunately, I know where to turn to if I need to brush up on a particular subject.

Catholic.com is a fantastic resource if you're keen to broaden your knowledge on all things Catholic (there's an in built search engine; just type in what you're looking for, hit enter, and walla!). I also recommend listening to Catholic Answers Live (CAL) and listening to the scheduled programs either live via the website, or by downloading a past program via the website directly or via podcast (I enjoy listening to the podcats while at the gym).

"The story of the creation and fall of man is a true one, even if not written entirely according to modern literary techniques. The Catechism states, 'The account of the fall in Genesis 3 uses figurative language, but affirms a primeval event, a deed that took place at the beginning of the history of man. Revelation gives us the certainty of faith that the whole of human history is marked by the original fault freely committed by our first parents' (CCC 390)."

And as is the case normally, I have backlog of Catholic Answers Live podcasts to listen to (I'm finally up to date as of this week), and last week I caught a show recorded on December 5, 2009. A listener called in and asked about evolution. CAL staff apologist, Tim Staples, gave this very concise answer:

Proudly Australian of Maltese descent

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About Me

I live in Perth, Western Australia, but was born in Melbourne, Victoria. I'm Australian by birth but my heritage stems from southern Europe, mainly the island country of Malta, the heart of the Mediterranean.
By profession I am a high-school teacher, specialising in Religious Education (Catholic) and English.
I have been teaching since 2005 but before that was a journalist. I still write the odd article from time to time.
I'm married with two children, and am looking forward to having more kids with my beautiful wife.